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Chances are, you haven't heard a whole lot about C. Dean Metropoulos, the 66-year-old private equity investor and food company turnaround king. But if you've ever ravenously consumed Chef Boyardee after a long work day, doused your pancakes in Aunt Jemima syrup, or cracked open a can of Bumble Bee tuna, you've had the pleasure of interacting with a product that Metropoulos & Co. has had their hands on. He has since sold those brands, for $5.9 billion.

In June 2010, Metropoulos, with his two sons, dropped $250 million to buy up blue-collar-favorite-turned-hipster-darling Pabst Brewing Co., America's largest privately-held brewer of regional favorites like Lone Star, Old Milwaukee and Old Style. They even own McSorley's, found in New York City's oldest continuously-operated saloon by the same name, where you can get two mugs of the stuff for five dollars.

In an incredibly rare on-camera interview, FORBES sat down with Metropoulos, worth $1.2 billion by our estimate, at the Forbes 400 Summit on Philanthropy in June to talk charitable giving. It's a candid conversation about the search for the right cause. His family members have their passions. His wife works to provide medical equipment to disadvantaged communities. His sons, struck by the poor conditions at Walter Reed Hospital, devote their giving to nonprofits that help veterans. But by his own admission, Dean himself is "struggling" to figure out what he wants to do with his cash and talent. But he's inspired by another man whose legacy (at least as of late), lives on in food. Newman's Own, founded by actor Paul Newman, donates all post-tax profits to charity, having given away more than $330 million to date.

"There’s so much suffering in the world," Metropoulos says, adding "I’m continually overwhelmed. I got so frustrated at the amount of suffering [...] Sometimes you almost want to give up and say, ‘I can’t handle it all.’"

Watch the full interview with Forbes editor Kerry A. Dolan for an honest look inside the mind of one of the world's richest men as he works to determine what his legacy will be.